45: Chapter 45 Can It Be ?
45: Chapter 45 Can It Be ?
Gu Beihuai dodged away from people to pull out the note stuck inside his clothing, flipping it open only to see a quick sketch.
Though it was done with just a few strokes, it captured an uncanny likeness.
If one were to claim that the artist hadn’t observed him closely, it simply couldn’t have been rendered so lifelike.
But this didn’t make him think any more highly of Tang Chuxia.
All because that quick sketch portrayed him.
Just then, Wu Haipeng leaned over, tilting his head to look, and laughed, “Who drew this?
Gu Beihuai folded up the sketch and asked irritably, “Have you finished your check?”
Scratching the back of his head, Wu Haipeng replied, “Done!”
Gu Beihuai didn’t believe him, and after a few questions, Wu Haipeng’s story fell apart — he hadn’t actually bothered to inspect thoroughly.
“Get back there and do a proper check.
Don’t want to rejoin the ranks, do you?”
Wu Haipeng could only sheepishly go back and continue his inspection, convinced that his body was fine and it was Gu Beihuai who was being overly concerned.
But seeing Gu Beihuai angry, he didn’t dare disobey.
He obediently went back.
Gu Beihuai pinched the note, wishing he could throttle Tang Chuxia.
She did it on purpose.
There was only greed, no love in her eyes for him, yet she claimed he was her favorite.
Who would believe that?
Not even a ghost would!
Meanwhile, Tang Chuxia sat on the back of Madam Tang’s bicycle, bundled up in her cotton jacket.
Sitting on the rear seat of a bicycle in the dead of winter wasn’t for the average person.
She had never realized how great cars were until she lost access to one and understood that one simply couldn’t laugh while sitting at the back of a bicycle!
Fortunately, the one pedaling was her dear mother, so she could grit her teeth and bear it.
“Xiaxia, did you do that on purpose just now?”
Madam Tang asked, and Tang Chuxia hesitated before laughing, “Only my mom really gets me!”
Madam Tang scolded her with a laugh, “Ever since you were little, you’ve been a quirky presence around Beihuai.
Everyone says you’re innocent and cute, but Beihuai never believed it.
How come you’re still scheming against him as you’ve grown older?”
Tang Chuxia sighed inwardly, thinking that the original soul truly detested Gu Beihuai, but she herself didn’t.
Their poor relationship in childhood originated from the original soul’s overwhelming strength, crushing the little boy’s pride.
Could one blame him for fighting back?
Now that she’d taken the place of the original soul, starting life anew, bullying Gu Beihuai was in her nature, but that didn’t mean she had to do it in the original’s way.
Sleeping with him was also a method, wasn’t it?
She found the perfect excuse for herself, making her complaint without any sense of guilt: “It’s not entirely that.
He really was about to strangle me at first.
I told him if he laid a hand on me, Aunt Hong would definitely take care of him.
Only then did he prepare to give some kind of warning.”
Madam Tang burst out laughing.
It seemed Hu Shuanghong hadn’t falsely accused Gu Beihuai after all.
“Would he really go through with it?” Madam Tang was skeptical, and so was Tang Chuxia.
He was just riled up by her teasing and wanted to teach her a lesson.
See, she knew everything.
Yet she still went on to provoke him.
Adjusting her scarf that the wind had tousled, the cold breeze swept past her earlobes, reminding Tang Chuxia of Gu Beihuai’s inadvertent warm touch, which made her eyes and eyebrows curve with slyness.
“Mom, what if I marry Beihuai?
Would you think I’ve gone crazy?”
Tang Chuxia tested the waters cautiously, to which Madam Tang bluntly responded, “Xiaxia, let’s leave Beihuai be.
The mere sight of you makes him want to hit you.
I truly can’t imagine what it would be like if you two got married.
Would you fight every day?”
Don’t be so pessimistic.
She could easily make Gu Beihuai keep his hands to himself.
However, Madam Tang shattered her intention of telling the truth.
“Mom, you’ve misunderstood us.
He’s a gentleman!” She would’ve been better off keeping quiet, because upon hearing that, Madam Tang laughed so hard that the car nearly swerved into a ditch.
Having finally steadied the car, Madam Tang warned her, “Don’t make jokes like that.
Aunt Hong is already prepared for Beihuai to like men rather than like you.
Tang Chuxia: …Is she really that harsh?
In this day and age, she’d rather believe her son likes men than likes her.
Then it became clear why, despite the obviousness of her actions with Gu Beihuai, neither of their mothers harbored the slightest suspicion.
To what extent did the original owner hurt Gu Beihuai?
She rubbed her hands together, her face alight with excitement.
She vowed to press on, determined to outdo the original owner and collect some interest while she was at it.
Fortunately, Madam Tang didn’t notice her little movements.
Upon arriving at the neighborhood committee office without having found Auntie Hu, Auntie Hu appeared of her own accord.
“Zheng, your timing is perfect.
Come help me look at these accounts, what’s going on with them?” Auntie Hu gripped onto Madam Tang as if she were a lifesaver.
Tang Chuxia curiously peeked over, then quickly retracted her neck.
Best not to be too curious – just looking at the dense thicket of numbers gave her a visceral dislike.
It’s not that she couldn’t understand them, but a past experience with her abilities had once led her to help out at a mental arithmetic association, facing numerous numbers for calculations each day, which developed into a physical aversion.
Madam Tang provided Auntie Hu with the necessary proofs, and while Auntie Hu sought her help, of course, she agreed.
She personally registered Tang Chuxia’s proofs and struck her name from the register, whispering to Madam Tang, “I’ve heard that there are many people returning to the city these days, and jobs are hard to come by.
If Xiaxia isn’t heading to the countryside, how will she find work?”
Madam Tang, while checking the accounts, replied, “With her weak constitution, she can’t really do anything; she might as well stay home and recover.
We won’t miss her portion of the work!”
Auntie Hu sighed, another unavoidable circumstance.
Tang Chuxia warmed herself by the fire at the entrance, utterly bored, when a commotion erupted.
She peeked into the yard, and Auntie Hu exclaimed, patting her thigh, “Oh dear, look at my memory, something bad has happened!”
She hurried into the yard, where a crowd had already formed, all talking at once, hard to make out what was happening.
She only saw them surrounding a man, pushing and shoving; the man’s face was covered in blood, a frightening sight.
Tang Chuxia asked a staffer by the fire, “What happened here?”
The staffer, an older sister who worked at the neighborhood committee and was warm-hearted and eager for gossip, would have spilled the beans even if Tang Chuxia hadn’t asked.
The couple got married in the countryside, but when the husband came back to the city, he wanted a divorce from his rural wife, who, of course, was none too pleased.
She came storming into his family’s home, creating havoc.
Every time he mentions divorce, she kicks up a fuss.”
Tang Chuxia, still confused, inquired curiously, “Then why have they come here?
Shouldn’t they have called the police?”
The older sister laughed, “Our neighborhood committee also handles the Women’s Federation duties.
The gentleman is here to complain to the Women’s Federation!”
Tang Chuxia exclaimed, “Isn’t the Women’s Federation supposed to protect women and children?”
The older sister nodded, “The gentleman claims his wife is too domineering, asking the Women’s Federation to intervene.”
Tang Chuxia was stunned, wondering if one could really operate after being beaten by one’s wife?
If she ever overexerted herself in the future, would her fiancé also come complaining to the Women’s Federation?
She shuddered at the thought of Gu Beihuai appearing before the Women’s Federation.
The image was too amusing…